"Texas executed two in one day again the other day. Arkansas has done the same thing," Fordice said. "Both of those states are continually working down their inventory on death row, and ours continues to grow."

JACKSON, Miss. -- Leaders of Muslim, Jewish and Christian congregations gathered Thursday at the Capitol to call for an end to the death penalty in Mississippi.

Death penalty supporter Ann Pace of Jackson, meanwhile, held pictures of her daughter, who she said died at the hands of a serial killer.The main point of contention between the Mississippi Religious Leadership Conference and Pace is whether the death penalty effectively deters crime, but the issue also hinges on inequity in the criminal justice system and religious principles.

"We face the real possibility of three state-sanctioned executions within the next month," said the Episcopal Rev. Carol Borne Spencer. "The organization thus felt that the time was now for us to ask our state leaders to find new ways to deal with one of the largest societal dilemmas of our time, that is how to deal with heinous criminal actions of murder and violence and still hold people accountable in ways that do not require the killing of a person."

On Wednesday, the Mississippi Supreme Court set execution dates for two convicted killers, and Attorney General Jim Hood has requested an execution date for a third.

The religious conference, which grew out of the 1960s civil rights movement, asked Thursday for crime victim support. But members said executions only create new victims -- the families of executed criminals. Isolating criminals is better than condemning them to death, members said.

Lee, 43, sits on death row at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola for Pace's murder. Murray was killed at the age of 22, one week after graduating with an MBA from Louisiana State University.

Lee is suspected of killing seven south Louisiana women between 1998 and 2003, but Pace said he has not yet been put to death because Louisiana state law allows too many appeals.

"Even though the case is a DNA case, his DNA in seven murders, and it's been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court twice, Louisiana still provides for a system called post-conviction relief that can go on for years and years and years, and it made sense before forensic science. It does not make sense now," said Pace.

She cited a series of studies in the early 2000s finding that each execution prevents between three and 18 slayings. The studies have been widely disseminated by pro-death penalty advocates but widely criticized for technical and conceptual errors by those who oppose execution.

"I am here for those three to 18 additional victims," Pace said. "I think abolishing the death penalty is idealistic, sounds good, feels good to support, but it does not protect life, it does not protect us, and I think our most important moral obligation in our life is to protect ourselves, our children, and our community, and I think that the death penalty does in fact do that."

In addition to the debate over deterrence, the Capitol press conference brought up issues of social equality and faith.

Okolo Rashid of Jackson's International Museum of Muslim Cultures signed the MRLC's call for a moratorium. She said her faith would allow her to support the death penalty if the system did not disproportionately execute black men.

Another MRLC member invoked the symbolism of the Christian day of Good Friday, which marks the day Jesus Christ was crucified.

"We know that Jesus Christ would not want the death penalty for anyone, having suffered himself at the hands of the state," said the Catholic Bishop Joseph N. Latino of Jackson.

Set to be executed May 10 is Benny Joe Stevens, now 52, who was sentenced to death in 1999 for killing his ex-wife and her husband, his 11-year-old son and his son's 10-year-old friend.

Death penalty supporter Ann Pace of Jackson, meanwhile, held pictures of her daughter, who she said died at the hands of a serial killer.The main point of contention between the Mississippi Religious Leadership Conference and Pace is whether the death penalty effectively deters crime, but the issue also hinges on inequity in the criminal justice system and religious principles.

The answer to that lies in that murder that occured in Illinois recently.

My reason for supporting the death penalty? A murderer has less of a right to live than his victim and already presents a danger while incarcerated for life. They have nothing to lose when the most they can get is Life in prison without parole.

State ready to execute 2nd man in 2 weeks•Execution planned Tuesday for killer of 79-year-old woman

9:26 PM, May. 15, 2011

By the end of this month, Mississippi could rival Texas and Ohio with the most executions carried out in the first five months of this year.

Mississippi is the only state with three executions scheduled this month.And Jan Schaeffer, spokeswoman for the Mississippi attorney general's office, said the state could have more later this year.The first of the three planned executions occurred last Tuesday, when Benny Joe Stevens, 52, was put to death for murdering four people - his ex-wife, her husband, her 10-year-old son and the son's 11-year-old friend - in 1998 in Marion County.Barring an unlikely reprieve, Rodney Gray, 38, will be next to die a little after 6 p.m. this Tuesday for the 1994 murder of 79-year-old Grace Blackwell, who also was kidnapped, raped and robbed in Newton County.

Although the execution of Robert Simon Jr. is on hold, Hood said the clock is ticking on at least 3 other death row inmates who could be executed before the year is up.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans has turned down petitions by all 3 inmates, Hood said.

"This means that Mississippi could see three executions in the late fall, as early as November," Hood said. "Our office will stay in communications with the victims' families involved in these cases to keep them updated."

The three inmates on the list are William Gerald Mitchell, Larry Matthew Puckett and Edwin Hart Turner.

The longest serving inmate on death row, Richard Jordan, has appeals still winding their way through the federal courts. Now 65, Jordan has spent 34 years on death row.

Jordan's petition for a certificate of appealability has been filed with the 5th Circuit. A federal judge in Mississippi turned down Jordan's petition last year.

A certificate of appealability is similar to a post-conviction petition, in which an inmate argues he has found new evidence -- or a possible constitutional issue -- that could persuade a court to order a new trial.

Jordan was sentenced to death in 1977. He was convicted of capital murder and kidnapping in the death of Edwina Marta in Harrison County Jan. 13, 1976. Court records show he kidnapped the woman, took her to a wooded area in north Harrison County and shot her in the back of the head. Prosecutors said he then collected a $25,000 ransom from Marta's husband.

2 inmates were executed in May: Rodney Gray and Benny Joe Stevens.

Hours before Robert Simon Jr., was to be put to death on May 24 for the 1990 slaying of members of a Quitman County family, his execution was stopped by a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans. The panel is considering arguments whether a blow to the head that Simon suffered in January has rendered him incompetent to be executed.

The appeals of Mitchell, Puckett and Hart have been on similar grounds: mental disability and/or ineffective counsel.

Mitchell, now 50, was sentenced to death in 1998 in Harrison County. He was convicted of capital murder in the death of Patty Milliken, a 38-year-old store clerk, on the night of Nov. 21, 1995. Prosecutors said Mitchell took Milliken from the store where she worked, brought her under the north end of the Popp's Ferry Road bridge and killed her by beating her and driving his car over her body.

In May, the 5th Circuit declined to grant Mitchell a certificate of appealability on the grounds of mental retardation and ineffective counsel.

Puckett, now 34, was sentenced to death in 1996 in Forrest County. He was convicted of capital murder and sexual assault in the 1995 death of Rhonda Griffis of the Sunrise community. Authorities said Griffis died from blows to the head.

The 5th Circuit in May denied Puckett's post-conviction claims that blacks were kept off his trial jury and that prosecutors shouldn't have been allowed to discuss his post-arrest silence.

Turner, now 37, was sentenced to death in 1997 in Forrest County, where the trial was moved on a change of venue. He was convicted on two counts of capital murder in the 1995 deaths of 2 Carroll County men: Eddie Brooks and Everett Curry.

Brooks, a clerk at Mims Auto Truck Village on U.S. Highway 82 East, was killed on the job on Dec. 13, 1995. Shortly thereafter, Curry, a prison guard, was shot to death while pumping gasoline into his car at Mims One Stop, also east of Greenwood on U.S. 82, according to the court record.

In February, the 5th Circuit denied Turner's claim that his trial attorney could have done a better job on his defense.

The Mississippi Supreme Court has on its docket an appeal by 2 groups challenging how Mississippi conducts its executions.

The lawsuit by 2 anti-death penalty organizations was filed last year on behalf of 3 inmates. 2 of the 3 have been executed.

Oral arguments have not been scheduled.

Mississippians Educating for Smart Justice and Mississippi Cure Inc. sued the state, hoping to stop the executions because the state switching to a different lethal injection drug. They said corrections officials failed to properly publicize the change as required by the Administrative Procedures Act.

In April of 2011, Hinds County Circuit Judge Bill Gowan rejected the challenge. The Supreme Court then denied a request to stop the scheduled executions while the groups appealed.

*************

Lawsuit challenges Mississippi's use of new drug in executions

A lawsuit contending that state corrections officials failed to properly publicize as required by law its switch to a new lethal injection drug is before the Mississippi Supreme Court.

The case is among dozens on the court's current docket. The court will not hear oral arguments.

The lawsuit by 2 anti-death penalty organizations was filed last year on behalf of 3 inmates. 2 of the 3 have been executed.Nail the 3rd Mississippi and then let them have the hearing!

Mississippians Educating for Smart Justice and Mississippi Cure Inc. sued the state, hoping to stop the executions because the state switched to a different lethal injection drug. They said corrections officials failed to properly publicize the change as required by the Administrative Procedures Act.

The 2003 law requires state agencies to notify the public of proposed rule and regulation changes. The law gives citizens the right to offer opinions on proposed changes to rules and regulations, ask for hearings and request official opinions from state agencies.

In April of 2011, Hinds County Circuit Judge Bill Gowan rejected the challenge. The Supreme Court then denied a request to stop the scheduled executions while an appeal was pending.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of inmates Benny Joe Stevens, Rodney Gray and Robert Simon Jr. Stevens was executed May 10. 2011; Gray was executed May 17, 2011. Simon has appeals pending in federal court.

The Mississippi Department of Correction said in April of 2011 that it would switch to a different drug, pentobarbital, for the state's next execution because of a nationwide shortage of one drug it has used in the past.

Mississippi has used a 3-drug mixture for its lethal injections for many years. Last year, 1 of the drugs Mississippi had used in the process, sodium thiopental, became unavailable when its European supplier bowed to pressure from death penalty opponents and stopped making it. No other vendor could be found, so the drug was replaced by pentobarbital.

(source for both: Associated Press)

Vengence is mine saith the Lord...who are we to question the instruments used to carry it out?

On Wednesday, the court set June 5 as the execution date for Jackson on an 8-0 vote. It also set a June 12 execution for Brawner on a 5-3 vote. Meanwhile, it ordered Hood's office to reply to Simmons' claims that his original lawyers were ineffective at trial and that he never later had lawyers good enough to point out shortcomings.

Current lawyers argue Simmons should get a chance to be re-sentenced because they have evidence that Simmons may have post-traumatic stress disorder or other mental illnesses and had suffered from abuse as a child. They're also seeking a court order allowing access to an expert for a mental evaluation.

Simmons, 49, was convicted for shooting and dismembering Jeffrey Wolfe. Wolfe was killed in August 1996 after he went to Simmons' Pascagoula home to collect on a drug debt, according to court records. Timothy Milano, Simmons' co-defendant and the person authorities said shot Wolfe, was convicted on the same charges and sentenced to life in prison.

Simmons worked as a grocery store butcher when he and Milano were charged with killing Wolfe. Police said the pair kidnapped Wolfe and his female friend and later assaulted the woman and locked her in a box. Police found parts of Wolfe's dismembered body at Simmons' house, in the yard and in a nearby bayou.

Simmons and Brawner both said their legal causes suffered in part because of ineffective assistance by Bob Ryan, formerly head of the state office meant to handle post-conviction appeals for people sentenced to death. Five justices, though, said Brawner's claims have already been litigated and that courts had decided against them.

Justice David Chandler, joined by Justices James Kitchens and Leslie King, dissented, citing claims that Brawner's case, in its early stages, was handled by a law clerk who hadn't yet passed the bar exam.

"Because the issue of whether a non-lawyers purported representation of Brawner during critical stages of the proceedings never has been addressed by this court and the issue is now clearly before the court, we would allow Brawner to file a successive motion for post-conviction relief on this issue," Chandler wrote.

Brawner, 34, was convicted of the 2001 killings of his 3-year-old daughter, ex-wife and former father-in-law and mother-in-law in Sarah, a Tate County community west of Senatobia.

Brawner went to his former in-laws' home after learning that his former wife planned to stop him from seeing their child, trial testimony showed. He also had no money and contemplated robbing his former in-laws, according to testimony. Brawner admitted to the killings at trial and told a prosecutor he deserved death.

Jackson, 47, was convicted of stabbing two nieces and two nephews, ranging in age from 2 years to 5 years, at his mother's home near Greenwood in 1990. He also was convicted of stabbing his adult sister and another niece, who both survived. Prosecutors said Jackson, 26 at the time, planned to steal his mother's safe and kill the victims.

I apologize for my not perfect English. Hopefully you understand what I mean. If not - ask me. I will try to explain.

HAZLEHURST -- A Copiah County man has been sentenced to death for the 2011 slaying of Paula Hamilton, who authorities say was the mother of his teenage daughter.

A jury had convicted 41-year-old David Dickerson of capital murder on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the jury sentenced him to death. Dickerson also got 40 years for the armed robbery and 20 years for the arson.

Prosecutors say in January 2011, on the day Dickerson and Hamilton were to appear in justice court on a stalking complaint Hamilton had brought against him, Dickerson allegedly rode a motorcycle to her home, shot, slashed and stabbed her, poured gasoline on her and left her body to burn.

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) -- A death row inmate convicted of killing two university students in 1992 is continuing his quest to convince a court he deserves a new trial.

Willie Jerome Manning is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to give him a new trial, saying that his defense was ineffective and that black residents were inappropriately excluded from his Oktibbeha County jury. Manning is African-American.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals turned Manning down in July. The court said Manning filed his post-conviction claim too late to be heard in state courts.

The office of Attorney General Jim Hood will ask to have an execution date set if the U.S. Supreme Court denies the request, said Hood spokeswoman Jan Schaefer.

The 5th Circuit said the judgment against Manning became final on April 5, 1999, when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear his appeal.

In a post-conviction petition, an inmate argues he has found new evidence -- or a possible constitutional issue -- that could persuade a court to order a new trial.

The 5th Circuit said that under state law, Manning had until April 5, 2000, to file such a claim. Court records show Manning did not file anything with the Mississippi Supreme Court until Oct. 8, 2001.

Manning, now 44, received two death sentences for the 1992 slayings of two Mississippi State University students, Jon Steckler and Tiffany Miller.

On Dec. 11, 1992, the bodies of Miller and Steckler were discovered in rural Oktibbeha County. Both students had been shot to death, and Miller's car was missing. The vehicle was found the next morning.

Prosecutors said Manning was arrested after he attempted to sell certain items belonging to the victims.

His conviction was upheld by the Mississippi Supreme Court, which also denied Manning's post-conviction petition.

In 2005, Manning filed a petition in U.S. District Court asking that the state court be ordered to hear his post-conviction claims. The judge found Manning did not file the post-conviction petition by the deadline set by law, but said the inmate could appeal the issues of ineffective counsel and the jury to the 5th Circuit.

ACKSON, Miss. (AP) -- The Mississippi Supreme Court has thrown out the death sentence of Howard Dean Goodin on grounds that he's mentally disabled.

Goodin, now 58, was sentenced to death in the November 1998 robbery and fatal shooting of Union store owner Willis Rigdon.

The court ruled Thursday that a "preponderance of the evidence" shows Goodin is mentally disabled. The justices returned the case to Newton County Circuit Court for resentencing.

The only sentencing options for a capital murder conviction are death or life without parole.

At Goodin's 1999 trial, jurors saw a surveillance tape that showed Goodin entering Rigdon Enterprises and stealing money and a VCR. It also showed Rigdon being led by gunpoint from the store and forced into his pickup truck. Rigdon was shot on a nearby dirt road.

Mississippi prosecutors now have until Feb. 11 to respond to a death row inmate's ongoing effort to win a new trial for the killing of two university students in 1992.

In an order signed last week, the U.S. Supreme Court granted a request from Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood for more time. Hood's original deadline was Jan. 10.

On Dec. 3, Willie Jerome Manning asked U.S. Supreme Court to listen to his arguments for a new trial.

Manning has argued that defense attorneys should have done a better job and that black residents were inappropriately excluded from his Oktibbeha County jury. Manning is African American.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals turned Manning down last July.

The court said Manning filed his post-conviction claim too late to be heard in state courts.

Hood has said he will ask to have an execution date set if the U.S. Supreme Court denies the request.

Manning, now 44, received two death sentences for the 1992 slayings of two Mississippi State University students, Jon Steckler and Tiffany Miller.

On Dec. 11, 1992, the bodies of Miller and Steckler were discovered in rural Oktibbeha County. Both students had been shot to death, and Miller's car was missing. The vehicle was found the next morning.

Prosecutors said Manning was arrested after he attempted to sell items belonging to the victims.